If you want to get ahead, get a hat!

felted hats from Kyrgyzstan

New collection felt hats from Kyrgyzstan

Once a hat was an indispensable part of your clothing.  The hat you were wearing could tell a stranger whether you were married or not, in mourn or what class you belonged to.

Nowadays , almost everywhere these signals have disappeared. Read on…

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Birds and symbolism

realistic birds made of felt

full sized handmade birds, collect them all

 

When I look at the sky and I see the birds flying I feel a little jealous. They are so happy, free and liberated of borders. They can go everywhere, and have this great overview all the time.

Birds are symbolic metaphors for human moods and a range of emotions. In general the bird in art and also in the art of textiles is the symbol of liberation and freedom. Read on…

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Chests and cupboards filled with textiles, delicious !

 

tribal textiles and rugs

a cabinet filled with piles of tribal textiles and rugs, collect them at Shirdak

When I was a little child I always loved to sniff in the linen closet and play with the nicely and neatly arranged stacks of white linen. In the wardrobe the world to me seems soft and freshly organized.

Read on…

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Russian Printed textiles for the Central Asian Market

Russian textiles for the Central Asian market

My Central Asian quilt with Russian printed textiles

Every year begin of January I have to count all my products. This is a boring project, the only nice thing about it is that I also have to count my stock of traditional textile items, the dresses from Kohistan, the ikat coats from Uzbekistan and other tribal textile garments. Read on…

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Never a dull moment at Shirdak in 2011

mayer-peace -collection

Exhibition 2011 Christine Mayer and the tribal textiles day May 19th 2011

Looking back on an exciting Shirdak year full of success and surprises.

In 2011 we started with the exhibition of the Christine Mayer Peace collection. With a beautiful article in the magazine Selvedge we were happy to have this new brand in our shop. Read on…

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Fabulous shawls

shawls made of felt

Fabulous scarves by Dagmar Binder, Anneke Copier and the Kirgiz ladies

Shirdak always tries to find new original designed scarves, made of felt.

We put several new unique items on our webshop.

Our favorite artists, like Dagmar Binder, Anneke Copier and the Kirgiz ladies have their own handwriting. Read on…

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Kirgiz artisans at Shirdak Amsterdam

Kirgiz artisans at Shirdak
Kirgiz artisans visiting gallery Shirdak Amsterdam

On a windy Sunday in November I welcomed four Kirgiz women. They are artists in felt, coming from Kyrgyzstan. Travelling through Europe, they try to interest people for their beautiful crafts. In the Kirgiz way they had asked me to organize an exhibition for their handicrafts. Read on…

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Winter Season at Shirdak Part Two

 

christmas-ornaments-shirdak

Winter Season at Shirdak is Christmas decoration with warm felt rugs and cozy cushions

As I promised last week we updated the web shop. Now available a beautiful Anneke Copier vest in red or blue. The design of this vest has been inspired by the nomad culture of Kyrgyzstan. Read on…

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Winter Season at Shirdak Part One

The new Winter Collection and the Anneke Copier Fashion show at Shirdak

Time flies when you’re busy.

Every year in September I am excited to start the new season. The Autumn and Winter season is our best time to surprise the clients with warm and cosy felt slippers, nice scarves, comfortable cushions and rugs. Read on…

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High Heel Boot

nice example of our new style shoe, an unique combination with a bag from Dagmar Binder

Last spring I decided to design a new boot. We have the so called round nose boot and the cowboy boot for a couple of years now. The new idea was to make a female high heel boot, elegant with some space for all five toes. To become successful with an elegant high heel boot in the Netherlands is the same as selling drop (liquorice) to foreigners. Read on…

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